Mayor Bloomberg defends NYC in wake of GTA trailer

Mamma Mia! Here we go again, GTA, does it show how much politicians can't resist ya? GamePolitics points to a New York Daily News piece this morning where politicians are incensed by Liberty City's striking resemblence to New York City. The Daily News had city councilmen, Police Commisssioner Ray Kelly and even Mayor Bloomberg's office commenting that the game has nothing to do with reality. Bloomberg's office even whipped out statistics showing auto thefts have dropped 58 percent since Bloomberg took office, and so far this year New York City's murder rate is down 28 percent. Apparently that will all change once GTA IV hits the streets. Following yesterday's takeover at Take-Two, it doesn't look like protocol on GTA issues is changing, Take-Two refused comment on the story.

Real life mayors getting upset about games taking place in their cities is a pretty recent phenomenon. Las Vegas was upset with Ubisoft over Rainbow Six taking place in the city of sin and Mexican government officials confiscatedGRAW 2. For the record, this wouldn't be the first time Liberty City was the setting for GTA. In the latest incarnations Grand Theft Auto III and GTA: Liberty City Stories were also set in pseudo-New York. We don't fault politicians though, sometimes the activists who get these balls rolling are bit late. The groups that helped get GTA ads banned in Boston with GTA: Vice City Stories weren't on the ball or enraged enough when GTA: Liberty City Stories' ads ran a year earlier.

In a situation like this it also helps to turn a blind eye to all the violent movies that take place in New York. On a grand scale we have Godzilla destroying half the city and blowing up Madison Square Garden, Independence Day's annihilation of the whole city. We also have American Psycho, which can't even be written about here, Jason Takes Manhattan, The Bone Collector made us think differently of New York cabs, and don't forget the GTA-style romp of Die Hard with a Vengeance. Die Hard had the insane driving scene through Central Park all to stop a terrorist who was allegedly going to blow up children, but plenty of civilians were in danger during that scene. Also, The Siege, with its exploding buses, internment camps and martial law was just a bit more disturbing.

Get ready folks, it's going to be one long bumpy political and legal road between now and GTA IV's release in October.